General Information - What to Do When You Have Complained Without Any Results?
If you feel you have given the company enough time to resolve the problem and nothing has happened, send a copy of your letter and copies of supporting documents (not originals) to, or file a consumer complaint with, your provincial or territorial consumer affairs office or Better Business Bureau. If you use the Complaint Courier tool, it will automatically forward your complaint to the appropriate government office.
Small Claims Court
Small claims court can be an informal and relatively inexpensive method of resolving disputes when the amount claimed is less than $3 000, or up to $25 000, depending on the province. However, you will have to pay a fee to file a claim, and later you may have costs for such things as serving orders, payments to witnesses and travel expenses.
Legal problems can be presented in this court without a lawyer, although in most provinces the help of a lawyer is allowed. The court staff is experienced in helping consumers prepare the necessary forms, and the judges are capable of settling disputes. This court allows each side to explain its story, and does not expect consumers to know legal technicalities.
For information on how to proceed, contact the small claims or provincial court nearest you (look in the government listings in your phone book).
Class Action Suits
The purpose of a class action suit is to permit a large number of individuals who have suffered similar losses or injuries to band together in one efficient lawsuit.
This means that individuals who may not be able to afford to sue on their own can act with others in the same situation against the same defendant. All the participants in the class action suit share both the costs and the outcome.
With a class action suit, consumers with legitimate cases can afford what could have been an expensive legal procedure. Availability of class actions varies among Canadian jurisdictions.
